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Child Rescued After Hours Trapped on Sweltering Daycare Bus
10 Sep
Summary
- Daycare worker charged after leaving a child on a bus for nearly two hours.
- Temperatures reached 102 degrees during the incident.
- The child was hospitalized for dehydration and a urinary tract infection.
A Forney daycare worker has been charged with child endangerment following an incident on August 14, where a child was allegedly left locked inside a daycare bus for almost two hours. Temperatures that day reached a scorching 102 degrees Fahrenheit. The child, identified by the pseudonym 'Kayla,' was discovered distressed and later required hospitalization for dehydration and a urinary tract infection.
Investigators reviewed surveillance footage showing the bus arriving at 3:48 p.m. and the child being removed at 5:41 p.m. The daycare director stated that the driver, Jessica Deneen Smith-Ward, failed to follow protocol by not checking every seat before exiting and locking the bus. While Smith-Ward's log indicated the child had exited, she never reached her classroom. The daycare has since updated its procedures to cross-reference bus and classroom attendance logs.
